As you know, I ran the Asheville Marathon this past Sunday: recap here.  After the race, it was time to recovery but also to really dig in to my 30-day Composition ID body fat challenge, which started last Thursday (and it’s actually 28 days, not 30).  Oh, and what about that whole “2016 miles in 2016” thing?  This post provides an update on ALL of that, plus a surprise I got in the mail this week…

30-Day Body Composition Challenge Update

In my first Composition ID post, I talked about some of the strategies I planned on using to achieve my goal of a two percent body fat reduction.  The list began with a “clean recovery” after the marathon.  I think I did a pretty good job!  Here are the deets:

• After the race, I turned down the cookies, Moon Pies, bagels, and chocolates at the finish tent and instead grabbed some trail mix, a banana, and some peanut butter crackers (~400 cals).  So far, so good.  Not an absurd amount of food — just some nibbles to help my body recover.
• A few hours after the race, we stopped in Bristol, VA to get some food.  We chose Taco Bell because we thought it would be fast and because they have good vegetarian options (and vegan options!).  Maybe not what you’d think of as healthy food, but actually, a bean burrito from Taco Bell has 370 calories, 8 grams of fiber, and 15 grams of protein.  And only 3 grams of sugar.  So basically, you’d be wrong.  I had two bean burritos (740 cals) and felt very satisfied.  (No cinnamon twists needed.)
• When I got home, I found out that we really didn’t have much food and it was pretty late, so I had an Amy’s frozen Indian dinner (peas, rice, chickpeas, cheese; 370 cals).   For dessert I had a pint of Halo Top chocolate ice cream (240 cals) (thanks, husband, for trekking to the Whole Foods to get this for me!).  Yes, this plus my pre-race breakfast was more food than I’d want to eat on a normal day, but I had run a marathon (!!!) so it was important to give my body carbs and protein for recovery.  My post-race food totaled about 1750 calories.
• On Monday (and then again on Tuesday… and on Wednesday), I started my day with a protein shake using my favorite powder brand — Vega. I  used half a scoop of Vega vanilla Protein and Greens and a scoop of chocolate Vega One.  I also added some PB2 peanut butter powder.  Blended in the Vitamix with water and ice.  Yum!  (You can see my usual smoothie recipe here.)
• For lunch on Monday and Tuesday, I stopped at Sweetgreen, my favorite salad place.  I usually get the vegan Spicy Sabzi made with all kale.  It also has broccoli, tofu, beets, quinoa, carrots, and other good things.  I add spicy sunflower seeds and swap in the cashew dressing.
• I ended Monday with a fun and shockingly successful experiment!  Last week I ordered a spiralizer and we happened to get zucchini in our crop share.  My husband spiralized the zucchini over the weekend but wasn’t sure what to do next, so I used it to make a “pad thai” with unsweetened coconut, salted peanuts, soy sauce, a little Thai chili sauce, ginger, garlic, and some separately-scrambled eggs.  I made a first small batch using a little coconut oil and then, when that tasted good, I made a larger batch without oil (inspired by No Meat Athlete).  I intended to save some of it for lunch on Tuesday — I had used four or five zucchini! — but I ended up eating it all!  I think that’s OK though since it was mostly zucchini, eggs, and peanuts.

• By Tuesday afternoon, my post-race hunger was catching up with me.  I started with brown rice avocado rolls for a little snack.  My muscles were still really tender and I wanted to keep loading up on the protein, so for dinner (at my desk), I had two (!) containers of Siggi’s coconut yogurt (I usually have only plain yogurt, but Siggi’s has less sugar than most flavored yogurts), some frozen blueberries, and a ton of walnuts (my newest nut love).  The frozen blueberries had a bunch of natural sugar and no protein, and at various points in my life, those facts would have prevented me from digging in.  However, I’ve learned that if I give myself some fruit, that helps stave off the cravings for processed sweets, and since I hadn’t had a banana in my morning smoothie, I decided to go for it with the blueberries.
• Wednesday work-provided lunch wasn’t the best but I’m rebounding!
• You know what I miss a little bit?

And what about movement during all of this?   After a race, I like to really give my body time to recover before jumping back in to running, Orangetheory, lifting, or pilates.  So on Monday and Tuesday, I walked my usual five-mile round trip to and from work.  My legs were really sore, so I looked a little silly hobbling along (stepping down curbs was especially tough), and for once I wasn’t walking faster than my husband.  Now that it’s Wednesday, my legs feel a lot better.  Although not ready for running yet, I might be ready to try out some easy yoga tomorrow and to start doing my UVA Speed Clinic exercises religiously.  (Speaking of, I thought this article in Runner’s World, which popped up on my Facebook news feed, was topical.)

2016 in 2016

OK, switching gears, here’s an update on my 2016 in 2016 challenge.  As of March 16, the 76th day of the year, I have walked or run 452 miles according to Strava.  (This does not include (1) incidental walking, such as walks to grab lunch from work; (2) Orangetheory runs; or (3) untracked hikes and walks, like my eight mile hike in Hawaii.)  I’m on pace to complete over 2175 miles this year!  Woohoo!

One Other Update

One last update: I came home on Monday to find a package wedged into my mailbox.  It said my age group and “third place” on the front, so I thought Wow, did the Asheville Marathon people overnight me my award?  That is some service!   But no, this wasn’t from the Asheville Marathon people.  This was from the Mississippi Blues Marathon people!  Turns out that I had gotten third in my age group at that race, too!  So now I have a cool award.  THANKS, Mississippi Blues Marathon people.

Oh, And My Race Calendar

I’m running the GW 10 Miler on the 24th of April, so that will be a fun shorter race.  I’m also going to do a 10k here in DC in June.  And I’m registered for the Mesa Falls Marathon in Idaho in August.  But I’m having a tough time picking my next marathon, ideally something between late April and June in a new state.  Any ideas???